Religious Zionist rabbis blast the New Israel Fund

Rabbis call for continuation of work to expose work of New Israel Fund to weaken Jewish, religious identity.

Arutz Sheva Staff, 26/08/18 19:00

Rabbi Dov Lior

Hiller Meir/TPS

Senior rabbis in the religious Zionist movement called on Sunday for all religious Zionist organizations which receive funding from the New Israel Fund (NIF) to sever all ties with the NIF.

In a letter, the rabbis expressed their opinion on the relationship between the NIF and religious Zionist organizations. "A comprehensive study recently conducted by the Hatem organization has come to our attention. It shows how there are forces and organizations that are working to weaken the Jewishness of the state and its spiritual and moral strength in a consistent and pre-planned manner, even within religious Zionism, and in effect to bring about a process that will ultimately erode the Jewish identity of the State of Israel."

"Therefore, there is a great obligation to reveal to the public all these grave facts and intentions, and not to leave them hidden from their eyes, so that the goals of these organizations' actions are clear and the public knows how to treat them and beware of them.

The rabbis also stressed the importance of putting forward a clear position and exposing the truth, without giving in for the sake of a 'false peace.' ""Truth and peace are loved" - truth and peace are intertwined, so it is not right to hold falsehood and misleading in order to maintain peace as it were. On the contrary, the truth must be publicized about the negative actions and then peace will be established in its entirety. This is the way of Torah, that 'truth is not cowardly and not timid.'"

The letter was signed by Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Tzvi Tao, Rabbi David Hai HaCohen, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Rabbi David Dudkevitch, Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky and Rabbi Shlomo Levi, who alled call on the rabbis to continue their activities to expose the NIF's activities.

The video was produced by the "Hotam" organization as part of a campaign against religious organizations funded by the NIF. The campaign's leaders claim that the NIF has set itself the goal of changing Israeli society from within by penetrating religious Zionist organizations.